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Has anyone fitted a towing eye to the chassis of a TR3A and if so how? I am going abroad with mine and wondered if this was a good idea in case I need a tow or a winch onto a breakdown truck. Also has anyone got a list of recommended spare to carry. No silly suggestions please!!

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I have a box of spares in the boot for foreign touring. I have never used any of them. But I do have a list of essential for Le Mans this year.

 

  • Inner tube
  • Water pump,
  • Dynamo
  • Regulator
  • Points

If it gets serious the French TR owners have all sorts of technicians.

 

Good luck, Richard & H.

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Here's how the tow hooks on the two sidescreen TRs racing at the 2013 Goodwood Revival looked:

i-NJD3npZ.jpg

Edited by Don H.
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Tow hooks or eyes are required by the SCCA and other racing associations here in the US and most likely by BRSCC and others in Britain and Europe also but in my opinion, for street use, they are quite unnecessary for sidescreen TRs. The frame is below the bodywork in the front and there are several stout spots to hitch a garb hook. Of course a folding hook or eye would do no harm and might make towing damage even more unlikely.

Tom

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I have thought of replacing one of the bolts holding the heavy steel plate that protects the rad with an eye bolt. One on each side, but have not got around to it. Anyone done that? My idea was to provide an easy spot for a tie down on my trailer if needed. Cheers, Mike

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Arthur et al.

 

Totally illegal in Spain! you are not allowed to tow anything even with an A frame.

The breakdown trucks I had the misfortune to use when my fuel pump disintegrated on the French/Spanish border were very aware of the angle of the winch rope to the apron bottom and used an eye on the truck to run the rope along the floor of the truck they also have a unique way of putting the straps around the wheels so they engage about 300 degrees of the tyres. (Tars to our American friends.)

 

Dave

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Trouble with fitted tow straps is they get filthy and invisible.

The simple loop one could be kept in the emergency kit, and attached when needed, but then a tow truck will have similar items anyway.

 

Race eyes are so that the extractor unit can act fast, and they must be kept clean and obvious. You can do that on a road car, but will you?

 

John

Edited by john.r.davies
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Mike - Shame - Shame - TRs are not for trailers. They are for driving. As someone un UK once wrote - "No where's very far in a TR".

Totally agree Don, but I like the idea of having a secure hold-done point just in case. Hope to see you at some events this summer. Cheers, Mike

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  • 4 years later...

I'm opening up this topic again because I have just installed an electric winch in my trailer just in case I need to recover one of my cars or someone else's. I tested the winch using a strap around a lower suspension arm and connecting the winch hook to the strap. It was not a simple operation getting the strap around the lower arm and doing it in the dark on a wet night would be worse. So I'm looking at options for a metal tow loop that I can just hook the winch on to.

A cursory evaluation make me think something attached via the two bumper iron bolts on the passenger side would work. Probably have to fabricate something or at least fabricate something that a store bought tow loop would screw into.

Stan

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A few years ago on the way to CLM I had a terminal breakdown and had to be recovered by a french recovery lorry.  The driver had no problem attaching his winch to the front chassis cross member and winching the car on to his lorry.

Rgds Ian

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On 4/3/2016 at 12:36 AM, Mike Graham said:

I have thought of replacing one of the bolts holding the heavy steel plate that protects the rad with an eye bolt. One on each side, but have not got around to it. Anyone done that? My idea was to provide an easy spot for a tie down on my trailer if needed. Cheers, Mike

This is my solution,

 

IMG_4026.jpg.6e80d91003e17181e03ec0ce7fecb1cf.jpg

IMG_4030.jpg.4e7a76f10bbdc680b140e34267ea646e.jpg

Edited by ijonsson
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Nice.

I bought the rally type radiator guard. I was missing the original item and the rally type wasn`t much dearer, also gives the option of fitting a front anti roll bar. Also has several large holes which would be handy for attaching hooks etc if I need to.

Ralph

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My TR4 has a heavy duty shield (skid plate) which is welded to the side members and, at the rear to the cross member - this was installed in 1962 or 1963 by the Comps Dept.

It is so strong that I can lift the whole of the front of the car with a trolley jack placed beneath it - I just take the knobbly plate off the jack, put a piece of cardboard there to allow it to slide as the jack lifts.

Following the re-build (back on the road in 1993), I fitted a towing eye into the angled forward part of the shield.  Had to use it once when, with failing light, I had to get Maddy to tow me home where I could diagnose the problem which had caused the engine to stop - it was the first of the rotor arm failures before the Distributor Doctor produced his units.

Ian Cornish

Edited by ianc
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Is that a brake bundy tube visible near the trunnion's grease nipple?  Long time since I had a drum braked TR2 (was 1963), but it looks vulnerable to me.

Ian Cornish

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1 hour ago, Hamish said:

They are available from race suppliers I have a webbing one cable tidied for sprints etc. 
 

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/motorsport/car-preparation/towing-eyes-straps/

Where did you attach that Hamish ?. I dont see a problem with a strap attached with a bolt to something solid.  With a flat tow even up a 10 degree trailer ramp we are looking at maybe 700 lbs load on the strap/bolt.

Stan

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2 hours ago, foster461 said:

Where did you attach that Hamish ?. I dont see a problem with a strap attached with a bolt to something solid.  With a flat tow even up a 10 degree trailer ramp we are looking at maybe 700 lbs load on the strap/bolt.

Stan

Stan  I have a Rad guard that my anti roll bar fits to. My OMP tow Strap is bolted to this. 
 

but the bumper iron bolt would be ideal

E389D411-CCEB-4D3E-BC3B-520AFD8F01C8.jpeg

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